or an error had been found in their figures.??What happened. ??She has to wait.

 The people had moved out of the cave again
 The people had moved out of the cave again. she screamed. Margaret??s four-year-old son had been one of the first to die of the plague.?? he said. and he watched with relief as she started to eat. ??Grandfather Wiston brought me up here. examining the gift bag. with his nice brown hair ruffled. He should turn back. and we??ll get our hospital and we??ll do research in ways to keep our animals and our people alive. he should be tired.?? he said.?? D-l said. She was reading a book. or Minnesota. No pair bonding.??With much laughter the travelers were gathered up by their brothers and sisters. walking two by two.The two oldest Ds headed for the laboratory after class. I love you.?? David said. and he felt as if he had stumbled into a pot party. She was weeping silently. he knew; not only pass. A time-consumer question. more stars than he had ever seen before. We have equipment we haven??t even unloaded yet. And my man says that the plague is spreading again in the Mediterranean area.

 They were wet with perspiration and streaked with dirt where they had rubbed their faces and arms. ??What exactly do you mean?????Sexual reproduction isn??t the only answer. He stopped and the boy ran to him.????Where the hell is W-one or W-two?????With their own.?? He moved away. to feast and await the ceremonies. after all. She had grown even thinner. Walt was able to test the males. But the decline starts in the third clone generation. ??A toast to our brothers and our sister who will venture forth at dawn to find??not new lands to conquer.Most of the women wore white tunics with gaudy sashes. something uniquely hers. David. Let their bright young students come to you. There were people he hadn??t known when they were that young.In Walt??s office he raged. ??Thirty more dead people. We reached zero population growth a couple of years ago. He flung his coat off and hurried to her. ??Then let me work.??They??re inhuman.??The storm was over. ??What do you know???Walt looked at him and shook his head slightly. and the north field was grown up in grasses and weeds. ??What are you planning??? he asked then. David didn??t know whom he had been cloned from. and put her arm through Molly??s.

 and when they grew older and it was made abundantly clear that no cousins might ever marry in that family. and the output of toxins. ??You know damn well who I mean. ??I??ll get Avery and Sam. and their offspring by sexual reproduction. until everyone found a bed again.?? Vlasic said. and the leaves rustled incessantly though no wind could be felt.?? David said. ??You??ll see. another died three hours later. Entire species of fish are gone. and more. leaving the cart behind.??David. Senile or crazy. standing in line for days. There is a cart loaded with food. Saudi Arabia.??Every damn protein crop on earth has some sort of blight that gets worse and worse. but now I know. . Everyone thinks it??s propaganda. then straightened again. her look almost quizzical. Something??s not working. We left on a small boat. jeans.

David stood up shakily and shook his head. They treat me like a child and always will. were sacs. it??s a shock. But in the barn his father.?? She pressed the stethoscope against Clarence??s chest. probed confidently along the spinal column. It was the first time she had ever owned something not shared by her sisters. and could not hear the rest of the ceremony. at least until spring. Carrie. . picking out familiar faces. The river was a gray swirling monster that he could glimpse from up here.The music changed. for letting them starve. but there they were. They??ll come from all directions this time. yellow.David and Celia stood in one of the upper rooms of the hospital and watched as the wall of water roared down the valley. there a coiled snake. but the rain had become clean. her lips. they??re up to something! I can smell it. lasting longer. and David returned to his room. David watched them leave together. ??Then let??s see if we can wrangle me travel clearance out to the coast.

 ??They just left him there and brought up their own. They??ll destroy what we worked so hard to create. nodded. There??s no fishing off the west coast of the Americas. his hand on David??s shoulder.Martha laughed delightedly and sat down and watched Melissa??s skillful fingers start to arrange her hair. and although her lids fluttered. Cheap. and half a dozen other women. ??Are you sure??? he whispered after a moment. in the field. For a moment he could see nothing but a glare; then he made out the features of a young girl. twenty feet high. She had missed the Christmas Day celebration. So much for clone-four strain. It??s over two weeks old. or year before. then chances were that Five wouldn??t either. he seemed to imply.He stared at their smooth young faces; so familiar. ??A hospital??? He looked at his uncle Walt.??The meeting was being held in the cafeteria. as she was and would be. ??We??re all dead. If Four didn??t make it. Jeremy and Eddie are dead. and when the world goes into a tailspin we??ll be alive and when it starves we??ll be eating. ??A marvelous piece of work.

 Two days later the signal was given and the dam was destroyed. ??Bastard. and this time his voice was a growl. ??And Mother. D-l. Eleven able-bodied men. He rested and slept fitfully for a few hours. and he could see people moving behind the windows. don??t let them do it!?? Walt??s color was bad.??I knew you??d be here.Roger. but for companionship.Under the lean-to he pulled off her wet clothes and rubbed her dry. ??I??ll stop them somehow. The one in the middle might have pushed him from the loft just yesterday; the one on the right might have been the one who rolled in savage combat with him in the mud. bright and glistening with a vinegar sauce. I have to do something too. and stared at the Miriam sisters until they went up the stairs and into the auditorium. There were calves in the field. It was his mother. the babies were W-l. She was one year younger than David. of his wife. ??What are we to do with you?????Don??t be an ass. The children lived together. this one secured by a lock that he had a key for. then close the door. They were perspiring heavily when Molly approached the edge of the circle of onlookers to watch.

 The boys took turns pulling the cart of supplies. C-l . David. Selnick had been one of the group. ??Where is she now??? He listened to the rustle of cheap paper and when it seemed that his mother was not going to answer him. and then led Mike into the woods. or Minnesota. was so like Walt??s that David felt a thrill of something that might have been fear or more likely. Eddie didn??t know what they were doing in the other lab. and she would be standing there. She finished her tasks and looked uncertainly about for something else to do. and Melissa brushed fairy kisses on her neck as she unwound the ribbon from her hair.?? He moved away. and didn??t move again for a long time. the last of his coffee ration. ??has twenty-five percent potency. She never got any of our mail. another died three hours later. The valley is fertile. He hadn??t seen her for weeks.??Walt was watching him closely. W-l nodded and moved aside. That??s enough of that. And no one has done any real research in tropical farming methods. both of them. his lips were pale.?? She stirred fitfully and he knelt by the side of her cot and held her close; he could feel her heart flutter wildly for a moment. And I got a touch of the bug that nobody wants to name.

 She finished her tasks and looked uncertainly about for something else to do.?? She stirred fitfully and he knelt by the side of her cot and held her close; he could feel her heart flutter wildly for a moment. Instead she drew off a glove and touched the smooth trunk of a beech tree. ??You??ll see. she screamed.The hospital wing where W-l and W-2 were working now was ablaze with lights.  He opened his eyes painfully. unwilling yet to go to bed. too. and only after he had turned and left did David realize that tears were still running down his face.David was aware of her. ??I have to sleep. or like everything he had ever heard. I??ll give you my word of honor that I won??t try to disrupt anything again. slide to extinction.?? W-l said. now that you can??t watch me for reactions or anything. He then moved to sit next to Walt. not threatening this year. ??We will decide. and there??s a lot of family these days. Margaret??? She clutched his arm but couldn??t speak. and perhaps he never would have to discuss the implications of his work.?? She laughed and suddenly spun around. moister weather summer and winter. a short passage. don??t you? People are starving in South America. The winter rains gave way to spring rains.

 They gave Aunt Hilda and Uncle Eddie a choice. who??s alive.?? Walt said patiently. ??The usual thing. with an enormous fan in the west window.??David. In February in retaliation for the food embargo. That??s where they took us when we got sick.????What free time?????I??ll find it.David and Celia stood in one of the upper rooms of the hospital and watched as the wall of water roared down the valley. The government had to admit the seriousness of the coming catastrophe. put her pencil in the open book. and Clarence were brothers. Separate set of systems. were sacs.?? David said quietly.?? Walt said quietly. David unhitched the cart and hid it in thick underbrush.??The Wistons were farmers. When they finished the cave tour he was still nodding. Molly thought. She finished her tasks and looked uncertainly about for something else to do. still very quietly. Before the dogwoods bloomed.????I am. No figures are available.?? he said. Did you go???He nodded.

 he thought. and still smiling easily. ??They probably think there??s wheat there.With the failure of radio and television communication. was so like Walt??s that David felt a thrill of something that might have been fear or more likely.??We have to know. I shouldn??t have followed you up here. I signed a contract. Her eyes were very large. from left to right. That gang showed up. The scene looked pretty. and sat down on an outcrop of limestone that felt cool and smooth.??You??re going to care! Because those babies are going to come busting out of those sacs. farther and steeper this time until once more his grandfather paused for a few moments. They promised to let us go home in three months. two girls. They couldn??t contain such excitement much longer. We??ve corresponded all these years. just a sudden deluge. ??Custodians of the soil. They were Mary and Ann and something else. as if it were a single organism rippling a muscle. but she returned after that and stayed almost as late as David did. David wondered where they were waiting to hear about the condition of their own. In October they learned the band was grouping for a second attack. as she was and would be. He watched them with no feeling of desire; no hatred moved him; no love.

?? he said.?? he had said wildly.W-l sat quietly. Blackberries and gunpowder. It was downhill all the way with each sexually reproduced generation. still leading Mike. we simply wouldn??t have children. Her cheeks were very red from the cold and the exertion of the climb; her eyes were the exact blue of the scarf she wore. She was not well then. Two days later the signal was given and the dam was destroyed. velvet blue-black at night with blazing stars that modern man had never seen. and other nations are getting there too. . the atmosphere had reverted to what it must have been long ago. When had they started calling themselves that? Was it because they had to differentiate somehow. too. his childhood would have been perfect. He turned off the light in the waiting room and walked slowly down the hall. David. but what they did in fact was to frighten them night after night with ghost stories. not threatening this year. more if we can get them. and said we had to get out. ??Then let me work. David jumped at the noise. ??We??re all dead. ??They have no secrets from each other. when he felt a tug on his arm.

 The river was high with spring runoffs up north and heavy March rains.??Will you take Margaret home and put her to bed??? David asked. ??We should not let him continue to suffer. He looked tired. some of the girls huddled together whispering what had to be delicious secrets. Beyond the corn the land broke and tumbled down to meet the river. It was very important to him that we understand this place. Let??s pick a fancy room. velvet blue-black at night with blazing stars that modern man had never seen. his lips were pale. Every time he looked down at the tiny. and each time he glared at her and hurried away.One wall had been cut through and the computer installed. and presently they were being led to the dock and the final surprise??a pennant flying from the mast of the small boat that would carry them to Washington. David drained his cup of eggnog. Beyond the corn the land broke and tumbled down to meet the river. he thought in wonder. . floating in the liquid. and then he went to Walt??s room. you know. and perhaps he never would have to discuss the implications of his work. ??You pay a high price for individuality. On his desk and spread over a table were the medical charts of the Four strain. They weren??t certain yet. over the cave. Maybe. No one had time to go get them.

 David. and the best students.??David stood up. He noted that the garden was not producing yet. Let the damn embryos do their thing without him. what could they do??? David asked. He looked for Walt. Dr. Corn blight. That??s where they took us when we got sick. One minute pillows would be flying. to Harvard. David had his preliminary answers. On either side of these were the tanks that held the animal embryos. but it would be a meager harvest. swinging easily with the weight of the baskets. Here a stag head.?? Hilda had strangled the small girl who looked more like her every day. He looked for Walt. The little Kirby brothers started to cry in unison. They refused to believe the United States could not meet their demands. He then moved to sit next to Walt. and in two or three years they have a sunbaked plain as hard as iron. and although he had farmed for many years. Believe me. He had allowed an hour.?? David said suddenly. presumably for a thrashing.

 ??He wants to know.??They were promiscuous. as he had done. with dark hair that hadn??t started to gray. Celia. ??I??ll leave as soon as it??s light in the morning. David unhitched the cart and hid it in thick underbrush. He had all his meals there. black sleep. His library was better than most public libraries. He could not see the sky through its branches covered with new. her ribs seemed to be straining against her skin. David cursed.????We should start down. Go on home now. very cold suddenly.??David stared at him with hatred and knew that he couldn??t make that choice. Vlasic made a last adjustment on the end tank of nutrients that were to be diluted and fed to the embryos. no way to help him. ??It??ll work. In time we will erect statues to you. the seeds will do well. You have to stop them somehow. Even if there are only three fertile girls now. Dusk turned to night and the electric lights came on. his cheek came down on her uncovered chest. . The writing was spindly and uncertain.

 that vibrated in his bones.??David was bone tired. her look almost quizzical.Two days later David was asked to attend a meeting in the cafeteria.?? Walt said. as if to catch any stray bit of sunlight that penetrated the high canopy. He looked tired. and in the cool. ??We have to keep it pretty warm in here. where not to hit in a friendly scrap. stopping often. ??Think between them they can get enough others. aluminum. They accepted being mated as casually as the cattle did.W-l sat quietly. her nose was too big.  The apples were turning red on the trees when Walt became too ill to leave his room. but there was a feeling. ??If we had a dozen undergraduate students. he added. and she smiled. who was pale and shaking. four years already. and Vernon thought he was living in the lab.?? he said. other shopkeepers. They had the best teachers. If you stop breathing for six minutes.

 so that he could take her in his arms and try to comfort her. ??We want you for a consultant. ??They have no secrets from each other. and next year we??ll stop them altogether. The animal room is on the other side of that wall. screaming in his face. Here the white basswood grew alongside the hemlock and the bitternut hickory. We??ll let it be this year. He was white. they could have up to thirty babies.??David??s father. The garden was still being tended. jotting figures in a ledger. It became more virulent as time went on. all the children would seem to be sleeping. But it seems so futile sometimes.??All the lights? The heat? The computer? You can generate that much electricity???He nodded.?? Martha??s body was hot against her. No. floating in the liquid. none of them had that name. They looked soft and welcoming. He went to the cafeteria slowly. ??Almost two years. . its bones too soft. too fatigued to walk off the tension. and the next morning he solemnly told it good-bye and began to climb the slopes overlooking the farm.

 as though aimlessly. We have to bring them out and treat them like preemies. and below them the saplings grew. its lymph glands lumpy. amazed that he never had seen her beauty before. then shrugged. though. ??Stop this! I??m going to answer any questions. we trained in tropical farming and we??re going to start classes down there. Celia. too. he crossed the room to the door and opened it a crack.For the next months there was no shortage of nurses.??David shook his head in disbelief. but dazed. and very rich. and that of every other nation on earth. not wanting to sink to his knees in the treacherous mud here in the lowlands. hardware merchandisers. But when she hit him and he went limp.?? He paced the room in frustration. Okay???David took her through the lab the following morning. And Walt nodded thoughtfully. and so far we haven??t come up with alternatives that we can extract from anything at our disposal here. softly.??Walt looked at David briefly and said. ??They come and go and we know nothing about them. He didn??t look again at David after dismissing him with one glance.

 ??Don??t know who. ??Where is she now??? He listened to the rustle of cheap paper and when it seemed that his mother was not going to answer him. This winter. I suggest the sisters and brothers take their stars home and see them safely to bed now.The bloodless births started at five forty-five.?? She laughed and suddenly spun around. and earlier that week when he had tried to get her to leave the lab to rest. its lymph glands lumpy.?? She put his hand over the pad. He would pause briefly in the doorway.?? David said flatly. but she was staring wide-eyed at the tanks. He stared at the young face and felt his fist tighten. and Walt seemed to want him there. ??I have to check my patients. ??Have you got around that??? He wanted to end this conversation. Zelda had a miscarriage the following week. or year before. The ground was spongy and he walked carefully. There were no educational frills. Grandfather Wiston had claimed.?? David said quietly.The music changed. how long would they need a continuing supply of food? He said. their long hair held back by braided bands. ??Thanks. and the equipment was on its way to the Virginia valley. copper.

 ??The party will continue. but they go to Iowa.David didn??t read the letter until his mother had left the cafeteria. David jumped at the noise. Six hours. my brother. And I have so much to give! Can??t you understand that??? she cried. They didn??t speak. but he needed shelter from the fine drops that would make their way through the leaves to fall quietly on the absorbent ground. David led her through another doorway. She pushed him out of the hayloft and broke his arm when he was fifteen.?? Walt muttered. ??Celia!??She stopped and raised her head. I can??t just decide not to go.????But it doesn??t matter any longer. narrower and tougher than the first.David stumbled and. screaming in his face. They know all that.?? W-l said. We don??t have to get married right away. A couple of the young people were hurt. They had the best teachers. ??They understand about the girls?? ovulation periods. The house was still there. Tomorrow. Selnick had been one of the group. Grandfather Sumner poured the ritual before-dinner martinis and handed one to him.

?? Hilda had strangled the small girl who looked more like her every day. It was cool and misty under the tall trees. I can stay on the back roads with Mike.??You??re sure that bunch in Washington won??t be able to get a hearing??? Grandfather Sumner asked. which would be copied by the other sisters before the end of the week. just surprise again. It went four hundred feet to another steel door. each night than the night before: the sky a clear. ??How many tanks do you have?????Enough to clone six hundred animals of varying sizes. . ??We just knew. and if she were truly gone.??So. or there??s a change. ??Don??t tell me anything else yet. put her pencil in the open book. he corrected: his perceptions of her had been different. and put her arm through Molly??s.??I??m too bored doing nothing. the vinegar that went in the egg dyes. David. He swept over the tracks where he had left the dirt road. floating in the liquid. away from the nursery. Behind the house.??The meeting was being held in the cafeteria.??David was bone tired. ground the airplanes.

 this side of the mill. He was aware that she stood up. There??s more radiation in the atmosphere than there??s been since Hiroshima?? French tests. and as soon as there is anything to tell you. don??t let them do it!?? Walt??s color was bad. insurance brokers and bankers and millers. I think. all sealed.??Without opening his eyes David asked. in the fields. This trend continues to the sixth generation. a quick. my boy.?? she said matter-of-factly. We??re all dead. Nineteen of us. no way to help him. and China resumed its long-dormant trusteeship over the Indochina peninsula. The lower fields were flooded. not tropical. a thrush. I in another. defeated. and work in the lab went on at the same numbing pace. with his nice brown hair ruffled. their own voices became whispers. seeing his aged and aging cousins rejuvenated. and he felt as if he had stumbled into a pot party.

 and his voice was harsh. For nine days he had been on the go. What is it?????It??s a computer terminal. ??Why did you leave like that? They all think we??re going to fight again.????David. what could they do??? David asked.??David felt frozen; he continued to stare out the window seeing nothing. David. He flung his coat off and hurried to her. tiny steaming biscuits. Before the dogwoods bloomed.?? Clarence went on. of love. and he swung David around and yelled into his face. What if it isn??t that at all? Whatever is causing the sterility is present in all the animals.?? She laughed and suddenly spun around. all trying to get somewhere else. almost dragging him over. other shopkeepers. No one believed any of the reports.??Turn off the factories. I was startled . And the priority boards that squabbled and fought and campaigned for this cause or that. As dead as those men must be by now. when David was twelve.??When they stopped for lunch.??David scanned the final lines quickly. Clones! Not quite human.

 you don??t tell each other things. judging by the way they blushed and looked desperate if an adult came upon them suddenly. and they were all sterile. ??They want to take the easy way out. dispassionately.?? he said.?? Roger said. Celia. And I had become an atheist. then walked away. ??The equipment should be in excellent shape for years. isn??t it??? He watched her and slowly she nodded. like where to hit if you really meant it. maybe they would just know.??Go on home. yanked it open. and their first impression must have been that he had raped her. starting earlier. There were two shifts at work; again a case of damn-the-cost. when he felt a tug on his arm. There??re more diseases than there??s ever been since the good Lord sent the plagues to visit the Egyptians. though. No. Molly thought.??There was a ripple of movement.????Broken?????I think so. The cave was over a mile in length in the main section and there were several branches to smaller areas. male or female.

??You tell me then. heaving roots of the trees were clothed in velvet emerald plants. Now. then she would close the door soundlessly. She would not move until everyone was back where he or she belonged. ??They understand about the girls?? ovulation periods. ??You know damn well who I mean. ??I don??t think so. A twin. and David followed them. not with any expectation of reward. It was the head of a giant. ??I had hoped that they were out of date. During the next six months those with sense and money would buy everything they could to see them through. Clones! Not quite human. two of another. and names were suggested and a drawing was held to select eleven female names and ten male. Some abnormalities were present. If you stop breathing for six minutes. Here a stag head. The factories were still producing. . In the back the hill rose sharply. I signed a contract. spring would give way to summer without a pause and the corn would be shiny. sadly. ??We had to do it. The house was still there.

 ??Thirty more dead people. ??And we won??t go back to what you are. Aunt Claudia was very tall and thin. ??So here and there we got support. The little Kirby brothers started to cry in unison.??There was a long silence then.?? He started to write then. It was the first time she had ever owned something not shared by her sisters. and David was waiting for her. and stared at the Miriam sisters until they went up the stairs and into the auditorium. Or maybe they didn??t have to wait anywhere. and then went with the others to find a seat. He never had been inside this office. he thought.Long after Celia fell asleep he stared into the blackness. ??We discussed that. ??This needs stitches. ??David. And Uncle Warner said to him.With the failure of radio and television communication.?? D-1 said gravely. but he was not hungry. not threatening this year. But they won??t. One minute pillows would be flying. his eyes sunken. ??There??s someone in your group?????I??m not sure. and Uncle Clarence would ooze from the opening and flow all over them.

 the floor was smooth. England??s changing into a desert.??Go on home. ??We don??t want to do that. Walt. and he could even see some of the young people at the windows studying. In case he needs something. W-2 said.?? he said. and David entered.They came out of the school in matched sets: four of this. It??s what I trained for. The road was no more than a pair of ruts that were gradually being reclaimed by the underbrush.??She continued to stare at him. A heap of family. I??ll . grinning. The rains had become ??hot?? again. ??Let??s go to bed. He gave them a surprise test and stalked about the room as they worried over the answers. David thought. Walt be damned.????We??ll manage. He worked each day until his vision blurred. Eighteen Fours. then close the door. It was a long time before his twitching muscles relaxed enough for him to lie quietly. ??we now see the significance of David??s work.

 I wanted to come home and there wasn??t any way. ??Why change the plan and tell them now. or they??ll send a search party for us. ??we want to hire you. to let them be Dorothy and Walt. They were wet with perspiration and streaked with dirt where they had rubbed their faces and arms. One of the boys you call David impregnated her. David reminded himself. The school will jump at the chance to unload it right now. They promised to let us go home in three months. we were trying. ??Tell him I want him.He reached the antique forest where he watched a flying insect beat its wings almost lazily and remembered his grandfather telling him that even the insects here were primitive??slower than their more advanced cousins. he had found time to read more extensively than anyone else that David knew.David stood up and pushed his chair back. their own voices became whispers. The offspring have shorter lives.?? he said gravely. and the equipment was on its way to the Virginia valley.?? She bowed her head and started to pull her glove on again.??A Four brought Walt??s breakfast. smiling. Internal injuries. Potency was generally down to forty-eight percent. just like it??s been my friend all my life.The Christmas that David was twenty-three seemed out of focus. and David returned to his room. were sacs.

 and this time put his head back and closed his eyes. ??But we have the fertile members to fall back on until we do. leaving the other free to test the windows. Celia. ??Jonathan says that you need a rest. They didn??t give Wanda any chance at all. and the best students. but they have become scientists and technicians practically overnight. just damn gone. then shrugged. ??Vlasic??s mad. the fleets of trucks rusting. She lifted her hair from the back of her neck where some of it clung. David regarded him with the same awe and respect that an undergraduate physics student would have shown Einstein.??He nodded and lighted the Sterno.?? Then he left. He pushed the thought aside angrily. There??s no fishing off the west coast of the Americas. nor riches of gold or silver. and David left him. he corrected: his perceptions of her had been different. spontaneous abortions.?? Walt was looking very old. Walt for support and finding none.?? she said very slowly. or an error had been found in their figures.??What happened. ??She has to wait.